If you own a blog that gets requests involving offers of guest blogging – this could obviously be a huge problem, especially if you do not understand the nature of the problem from Google’s eyes.

At the core, this is a dispute about backlinks, so you will need to understand how links work and how to respond to requests post-Google’s Guest-blogging crackdown.

This post will:

Review what happened to get Google so fired up about a seemingly innocuous practice (guest blogging)

Explain all the details about how to understand and police your backlinks (especially from Guest Blog Posts)

Explain why you should still allow guest bloggers/blogging with conditions

And, explain how you should answer requests from potential guest bloggers.

What Got Matt Cutts so Grumpy?

You may be saying to yourself,

“um….self, why in the world do I need to understand anything new about guest blogging – I have a blog, I sometimes get someone new to post on it….it seems to be good for my blog and for the guest poster – right?”

Sadly, the answer to your question may often be – “wrong” – even when your heart is totally in the right place about why you want to accept guest blogging posts.

In theory, and for many people in practice, guest blogging is a mutually beneficial activity contracted between a blog owner and a guest writer. Guest posts add additional content from a new voice – they potentially bring in new readers – and they can add to your blogs search engine rankings.

And therein is the rub…

That last point – helping SEO – is what has created this massive amount of new drama.

Black-hat SEO geniuses are in many ways like hackers – they keep probing until they figure out holes in Google’s anti-spam policies and then exploit those holes to help their clients SERP – often at the expense of people unintentionally in the crossfire.

We have seen all kinds of tools go from good SEO strategy to possible SEO penalization as a result of these tactics (for instance blog rolls, comments, Wikipedia, etc.) In the series of posts that Cutts has posted on guest blogging he broke it down like a frustrated parent – he said basically that SEO’s are not capable of having nice things.

Cutts sometimes comes across like that guy that holds his anger in and lets it build until finally it explodes. He is like a tea kettle that builds to a good boil then makes a TON of noise. He started posting about spammy link practices in 2005 – introducing the nofollow and dofollow concepts for links (we will talk more about this in a few minutes). Since then, he has slowly identified, warned, grown frustrated with, and exploded on most of the spammy SEO practices mentioned above.

His current annoyance is spammy guest blogging for SEO and he has reached his breaking point – it seems clear that there will be Google consequences for spammy guest blogging.

But, how is Guest Blogging spam?

Over the last few years black hatters have exploited popular blogs by offering to provide to those blogs with guest blogging services –even often offering to pay for the privilege of providing guest posts. This offer is, of course, a Trojan horse – allowing black hat firms to pass page rank to their client sites through backlinks in the guest blogging posts.

One of the ways Google determines the importance of a site is by evaluating the backlinks that it generates.

If you have a popular site and you link to another site, Google assumes that means the other site is important too. When you bless another site by linking to it you are giving it your seal of approval in the eyes of Google. Google calls this “passing page rank.” As in you pass the rank of your site on to the other linked site.

One of the primary no-no’s in Google’s list of webmaster guidelines is paying for, or accepting payment for, passing page rank.

Google does not like paid links. They feel it corrupts their ability to determine which sites actually are quality sites that provide valuable information to Google searchers and which sites are unhelpful sites that provide spam filled nonsense.

Google wants webmasters, and if you run a blog or website you are technically a webmaster, to alert Google’s bots (or Googlebots or spiders the algorithms that determine site value crawling the web looking at sites) to links that are really advertisements (spam) as opposed to legitimate organic links.

So what is the scam?

Black-hat SEO experts offer their guest blogging services – and even pay you to provide this guest blogging content. They then load these posts up with spammy links that pass page rank to their clients. The posts that they deliver might be well written and even have decent content germane to your readers – but they are done to pass page rank from your popular site to their clients sites through the spammy backlinks contained in the body of the post.

For any of you who once received phishing scam emails offering to “gift you” a large portion of a distressed Nigerian Princes wealth (only under the condition that he could be given basic access to your bank accounts) you may have smelled something “phishy” when you got your first guest blogging offers. But for many blog owners, these guest blogging offers have been taken as both a way to earn a bit of extra money and a way to get more content to their blog.

Google thinks that the whole purpose of what they do is to identify value through providing search results that matter to the searcher. It is easy to see how Google gets mad because often the links will attach to a site that has nothing at all to do with the subject in the post itself (Cutts has detailed a litany of examples – once he gave the example of a post on linux with links to online casinos).

Ok, but how do links work for Google exactly?

There are two kinds of backlinks in Google’s eyes. The first kind is called “dofollow” and it is the default – in other words, any link unless noted otherwise is considered a “dofollow” link. This just means that the link creator wants bots to be able to follow the link when they try to determine where the link goes and the value of where the link goes.

The second kind of link is called “nofollow.” If you do not want bots to follow your link to determine where the link goes and the value or where it goes you can add a “nofollow” attribute in the html coding (links are set off in the htmll by the href attribute – so the nofollow goes after the href attribute and the link url – you add the text rel=nofollow> at the end of the string).

Googlebots examine the text and determine what they should or should not follow by examining the html. Google wants webmasters to treat the bots like newspaper editors treat readers when they explicitly identify areas of the text as “advertising.” Nofollow links identify to Google bots that a link is advertising and should not be followed.

What you should do – Part One – Policing your Backlinks

As a general rule, you should get in the practice of making all links in your guest posts “nofollow” links. You should start to go back through your back catalog of posts and add “nofollow” to any guest blog links.

This is really important to you!

Once Google gets rolling on policing Guest Blogging spam they will punish webmasters not the writers. In other words, the site that hosts spammy links through guest blogging will be the sites that Google penalizes. And the Penguin update to Google’s algorithm was all about being able to identify exactly these kinds of spammy links. In other words, it is in your interest to start protecting yourself.

What you should do – Part Two – Continue to Accept Guest Blogs but With Conditions

In Cutts’ addendum to his original outburst he explicitly mentioned the potential benefits of guest posting, “I’m not trying to throw the baby out with the bath water. There are still many good reasons to do some guest blogging (exposure, branding, increased reach, community etc.). Those reasons existed way before Google and they’ll continue into the future…I changed the title of this post to make it more clear that I’m talking about guest blogging for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes.

I think Cutts over-generalizes all SEO into black hat SEO but given that he spends all his time dealing with creative black hat trickery – he can certainly be forgiven.

Even if Guest Posting is not done for the reason of passing page rank – it can still be of SEO value. For instance, if linkage between two popular sites creates more reader-ship for both that will eventually convey an SEO benefit.

Guest posts can also be directly beneficial to your blog. A nofollow link is still a way to connect two popular sites and create increased readership by linking two popular sites. Readers are not Googlebots – clicking on “nofollow” links does not stop their journey. Links still create visibility for both sites.

What you should do – Part Three – How you Should Respond to Guest Blogging Requests

I believe most of this whole snafu could be cleared up with one simple blog owner response – “Yes, I would love to consider posting your content as long as you do not mind that I insist on all links being “nofollow” links.”

If everyone who hosts a blog used this response – every single time – guest blogging for spammy SEO truly would be dead.

Google has stated that they are only concerned with spammy “dofollow” links in Guest blogs. If someone is fine with all links being “nofollow” links they are probably ok.

Another good rule of thumb is to accept Guest blogs mostly from people you have a relationship with and/or trust. If you are going to accept someone you do not know, do some research, read other things they have written and see if they are involved in selling links.

Summing it all Up

Google is going to penalize blogs that they identify as accepting guest posts with spammy links. It is in your interest to:

Take control and look through all your guest blogging content – police your links and be alert to the scam.

Don’t pass page rank for money.

Learn to use the “nofollow” link in your html code.

Only accept guest posts that agree to only “nofollow” links in that content.

Be willing to play detective and look into the kind of content people offering their blogging services have provided to other sites.

Pay attention to what Google is saying about being a webmaster. A great place to start is reading Matt Cutts blog.

If you are ever approached by someone offering to pay you to post something they have written (guest blogging offers) you should now know exactly what to do – ask them a simple question, “Sure, as long as you are ok with all links being nofollow.”

If you never hear from them again – you will know what they were after. Forewarned is forearmed!

Forum marketing is one of those tools that, when used effectively, can produce tremendous results. On the other hand, if abused, it’s the quickest way to destroy your online reputation — permanently. The benefits from forum marketing, though, are just to great to avoid.

When you do it the right way, you can build authority, brand your business, increase traffic to your blog, and get hundreds of free leads.

Here’s a detailed “forum marketing for bloggers” guide – how to follow the basics of forum etiquette, and how to maximize personal benefit at the same time.

What Is Forum Marketing?

In essence, forum marketing is marketing your online business by the means of an online community i.e. a forum. Simple concept.

You post on forums, and use them to gain traffic, get leads, increase sales via your signature link. You market your product, service, or website through a forum.

Why Is It (Sometimes) Considered Unethical?

Often, eager young entrepreneurs go a little overboard with forum marketing. In other words, they spam the stuffings out of forums just to get their links out there.

They use a keyword stuffed username, write one-liner trash posts, and link to their blog posts in every single reply and thread they post. Needless to say, their stint on forums is usually relatively brief, once the mods catch on.

They never add any sort of value to the forum. It’s just take, take, take.

Their post devalues the forum, devalues the community, and even devalues themselves.

How To Do It The Right Way – Forum Marketing Tips

Forums are all about community and helping others – getting answers to questions, getting opinions on controversial subjects — just building relationships, getting social, and helping each other. No forum was ever created with the sole purpose of getting its members free traffic.

Here are a few tips on forum marketing to help you get started increasing your blog traffic.

Provide value – This is a no-brainer. If what you post on the forum doesn’t really provide value to anyone in any way and only restates a topic that has been used and abused, then there’s no point. You are not providing value, so there is absolutely no reason for you to post it.

Dropping trash one-liners like “great post” and “thanks!” will help you lose your reputation faster than you can say “Jack Robinson”.

Post on threads you know about – If you don’t know about search engine optimization, don’t post a thread/reply about it (unless you’re asking a question or sharing a personal experience).

When you post in categories that you actually know about, you mark yourself as an authority in the subject. Since you know your stuff, people click on your signature link to learn more.

Be relevant – If your signature link leads to a recipe blog, then you should be posting on recipe forums, NOT on an Internet marketing forum.

If the forum is not relevant to your niche, your link won’t get very many clicks. Whatever traffic does happenstance to make its way to your blog will be untargeted, and won’t actually convert and make you money.

Post threads as well as replies – Comparatively, new forum threads will get you considerably more traffic than replies would. That’s for a simple reason – everyone who views the thread is guaranteed to see your post (and thus, your signature link as well).

When you reply, your post often gets lost in the already-present sea of other commentators. No one sees your sig link, and no one clicks on it.

That said, don’t post new threads too often. Nobody likes to see five recent threads on one page of a board all by one person.

Get there first – If you’re gonna reply to a thread anyway, do your best to get there first. The first reply always gets the most exposure (after the original post).

The 1st or the 51st reply – which do you think gets more traffic? It’s the same with blog commenting.

High traffic forums – Another no-brainer. If the forum you post on gets 10 visitors daily, chances are that you’ll get 10 visitors yearly as a result. The higher the amount of traffic to the forum, the higher the amount of traffic to your signature link. Simple equation.

Most of the popular forums will show up on the first page of the SERPs for their respective niche keywords. Just type in [your niche] + forum, and you’ll find high traffic forums to get started on in the blink of an eye.

How To Format Your Signature For A Higher Click-Through Rate

Conversion rate optimization is one of my favorite pet peeves. My belief is that you should start testing everything (that includes your blog design, your landing page, your sales funnel, and your autoresponder series) as soon as possible. That way, you don’t miss out on potential traffic.

Here are a few tips on how to format your signature links for more clicks with less impressions.

Use formatting – Use HTML to format your signature text. Underline, italicize, and bold your text to make it stand out. When viewers scroll down the page, your text will catch their eye.

Include a small image – Also paste a small version of your logo in your signature. This also helps it to stand out. Keep in mind that some forums may require you to pay before you can include an image in your signature.

Don’t use your keywords as anchor text – Nofollow or dofollow, remember that your signature will be duplicated across hundreds of different forum threads as you become an active member. Never use your primary keywords as the anchor text. Use a more generic “click here” or “learn more” to stay safe.

Give people a reason to visit your blog – It’s a great idea to link to your squeeze page (where you should be giving something away free in exchange for their e-mail address) in your signature. Mentioning your free report will give viewers a reason to actually click on the link and visit your site.

Wrapping Up

Forum marketing is a powerful tactic, and can be a useful engine to power your blog’s success. As with all things, do it in moderation. Never abuse a forum — always put providing value for others in front of personal gain.

When you do that, chances are that you’ll end up gaining a whole lot more, anyway.

With so many blogs existing in the world, you have a very short amount of time to catch the attention of your valued readers. Your title is what most readers will see first – in an RSS feed, in Google or Bing or embedded in an email. If your title is clunky, too long or plain lackluster, your blog post will likely be lost, forgotten and just plain not seen. With so much pressure to perform, you may find your title writing skills flagging when it matters most. If your goal is to create blog post titles that attract readers, whip their heads your way, and click on your latest blog posts with fervor, here are the ten most well-kept secrets for optimizing your blog titles that every blogger should know.

Enticing Blog Subject Matter

If you are stuck on what to write about, these three title categories are sure to lure new readers to your blog in droves.

Provide a Benefit: Titles that get clicked on the most promise a clear benefit to the reader. They solve a pressing problem, they offer advice from luminaries in the field and they generally seek to improve readers in one way or another.

Whether readers are trying to improve conversions, lose weight or train their dogs to sit and play fetch, get to the heart of their passions, desires, apprehensions and fears and craft blog titles that speak to your readers and promise results; and make those results fast if possible. A good example of this is the blog title How to Eradicate a Zit in a Single Evening.

This will require extensive research in order to accurately analyze the psyches of your reader base, but today’s social networks and popular forums make that research easier than ever before.

Spread the News: Some of the most popular blog titles are those that strive to keep your audience informed of updates and happenings as they relate to your niche. Scour the news, read the latest press-releases in your industry and write blog titles that keep your readers on the up-and-up. A good example of a title for an IT blog might be Ten Industry Updates All IT Professionals Should Know.

Pique the Curiosity: Attempt to write blog titles that are different than everyone else’s and that resonate with your audience. Use odd but relevant word choices, personal experiences, funny anecdotes and quirky subjects that no one else is using. Your readers won’t be able to help themselves but click and read. An example of a title for a construction blog might be Hammers and Hamburgers: A Day in the Life of a Construction Worker.

Proper Title Construction

Use the following tips to develop titles that drive traffic and attract comments.

Set Expectations and Tease: Your blog title should let readers know exactly what they will get out of reading your blog in its entirety. For best results, tickle your readers with a hint of what’s to come and force them to commit to experience the true payoff.

Consider this title for a weight loss blog: See What Happens when Weight Loss Happens Too Quickly. Notice how the title doesn’t say what happens, it just urges readers to continue reading and pay attention.

Concise is Nice: The shorter your title happens to be, the better. Remember, you only have a very short window to reach your audience. Not only that, but your readers will typically have very short attention spans. Long, drawn out titles get ignored more often than shorter ones. A short and sweet title for a gardening blog might read 7 Plant Watering Secrets.

Optimize for Search: Use your primary keyword very early on if you want to beat out competitors that are optimizing for that same term. For example, if you are writing for a cosmetics blog and your keyword is ‘eye shadow’, your title might read Eye Shadow Tips from the World’s Top Makeup Experts. While not a sure way of improving rankings, there is always the chance that this technique will give you an edge against other bloggers that are using the same term keyword term a little later on in their titles; so this tip is always worth considering.

Beat Competitors: Once you get a good idea of the title you would like to create, get online and start searching for others who are writing about the same subject. Take their titles in, process them and then use what’s available to make yours even better.

Use Active Language: Stay away from passive verbs and instead use plenty of action words to get your readers’ hearts racing. Instead of the title How the Best Athletes are Running and Jumping Today, it would be better to use the title Run Faster and Jump Higher Just Like Today’s Best Athletes.

A Strong Title Never Lies: Your titles should always come through on the promises you make. In other words, if your blog title promises to help readers Change a Car Tire Quickly, Even in the Rain, make sure you provide exactly that advice. If your readers are ever made to feel misled, you may lose those readers forever.

Test Your Titles for Better Results

The above advice should help you develop titles that get results, but don’t stop there. Keep testing your titles, feeling your audience out and start looking for patterns of most-read blog posts by studying your analytics data. If you notice that some titles get more clicks than others, replicate your results for even more blog conversions.

They say that your choice of title can make or break every blog post you write. With these ten tips, your posts are sure to strike a nerve with every reader you target.

Guest Blogging is one of the most effective ways to promote your blog. Creating great content isn’t enough. The first hurdle you’ll have to pass is getting your email read. Everyone has experienced moments where their pitches failed to meet a site’s standards.

If you experience this a lot, there could be a problem on how you craft your email. As a fan of email marketing, here are ideas on how to create an email that will increase open rates, replies and get your guest posts published.

Create Killer Subject Lines

Learning how to create subject lines will prevent your email from being sent into the spam folder in the future and increase your open rates. Here are a few pointers to consider when creating subject lines:

Get straight to the point – Sending emails with subject lines like “Guest Post Inquiry” or “Blog Post Query” states your email’s content to the editor immediately.

Make it short and simple – Put yourself in the editor’s shoes. People receive tons of emails within the day. The subject line should take at least below 3 seconds to read and be written below 50 characters.

Consider it a headline – A great way to increase open rates would be to place your headline on the subject line. An example would be: “Guest Post Query:[Headline]” or “Guest Post:[Headline]”. Make sure to learn how to create amazing headlines. Here are a list resources on how to create killer headlines.

Leave a bit of mystery – Reveal a bit of information on your email’s content on the subject line. This increases the editor’s interest on your email. A few examples of these are: “I can help your site out”, “Your Site Lacks The Topic [headline]”, or “There’s a problem on your site”

Ask a question – Start by interacting with the editor. Ask something about them or their site. It’s an effective way to engage the editor and create an opening to send a pitch.

Start With An Introduction

Editors and Publishers value greetings. It’s what makes them feel special. I mean, who doesn’t? Make sure to try your best to find out the editor’s name. They would prefer their names over informal lines such as “Yo Editor,”, “Hello,”, or “Heya!”

An email’s second paragraph is the room for the Guest Poster’s introduction. Introduce yourself by stating your name, your niche and your site.

Do your Research

Take your time to research the blog’s content before sending an email. Bloggers prefer written guest posts from people who have read their site. Jon Morrow’s Guest Blogging program recommends reading everything on the blog. Do this by reading their archived content, their guidelines, and comments. This should help you get an idea of what the readers want to read.

Another great idea would be to let the editor know your name by slowly introducing yourself. You can do this by interacting on their site, their comments section, their twitter, emails, and tools such as Triberr. This is a method that requires you to invest a lot of time. But don’t be depressed, this increases your chances of getting published ten fold.

Come Up With A Topic

Once you’re familiar with the site, don’t expect anyone to spoon feed you. Asking for topic ideas is an amateur mistake. You are the content creator; provide topic ideas that the editor or the blog can not offer themselves. Make sure that you also leave an excerpt or summary about the topic. It gives the editor an idea what you’ll be writing.

I recommend sending three topics. This gives the editor more options to choose from. The idea of giving more topics reduces your chances of being rejected.

Build Credibility

Always include a list of your previous published posts. It helps the editor know your writing capabilities. Don’t be afraid to use published posts on your site. Although, I do recommend placing published guest posts because it shows that other sites are willing to publish your articles.

If you lack published guests posts, you can start by pitching to smaller blogs. You easily find these through search engines and social media. You can even make a proposal here at Learn To Blog.

State Your Intentions

Let them know that your intentions for Guest Blogging are simple. If you follow their rules on Guest Posting. I don’t see why they wouldn’t consider your offer. You can find out what type of writers they want on their site by reading their site’s rules and guidelines.

End Pitches Properly

I’ve found out that most editors don’t usually know what to do with your email. End your emails with a call to action; otherwise, you’d be lucky to get a reply. Here are great ideas on how to end your pitches.

End your email by being as polite as possible. Guest posting starts a great relationship between bloggers. If you’re rude, arrogant, or obnoxious. I doubt they would do you any favors.

Everyone likes reading a nice sign-off. If you want to seem more human and professional, add more contact information at your signature.

Email Template Alternatives

Hello [Editor]

It’s me again [Your name] 🙂

I’ve recently created a new post for your site. Would it be possible to Guest Post on your site again?

Thank you,

[Your name]

This is for blogs you’ve already published a Guest Post on. You don’t have to try so hard if you’ve already established a relationship. Keep your email short, simple, and polite.

Hello [Editor]

I’d like to read certain topics on your site such as [Topic #1] and [Topic #2]

I am an avid reader of your site. If you want proof, you can find on your site’s comment section. I adore your topics on [Site Topic #1], [Site Topic #2], and [Site Topic #3]. [topic #1] or [topic #2] can help .

But I know you’re busy. But I will give you an offer you can’t reject. I’ll write it for you.

Just inform me of any guest posting guidelines. [If blog does not have a contribute page]

But if you still doubt my Guest Posting capabilities. You can check out my published posts here:

[Guest Post Link #1]

[Guest Post Link#2]

[Guest Post Link#3]

Let me know if you’re interested

Thanks so much,

[Your name]

This is an example of an effective yet risky alternative email template. It’s something I discovered from Niel Patel’s email templates. Use this for sites that don’t have any pages about Guest Posting or Contribution.

Follow Up Emails

Hello [Editor],

[Your name] here, I sent you an email last week and I was wondering whether you were still interested.

Thanks,
[Your Name]

Sending emails to editors is scary, there are chances that the editor might have been too busy to reply to you or that your email was mistakenly sent to the spam folder. But don’t fret, you can still follow-up. Most bloggers tend to forget about this but a follow-up is an email that reminds recipients or editors that you’ve sent them an email.

Important Note: There are some blogs out there that place a warning on their guidelines such as: “If we do not reply within 6 weeks, stop sending us emails” Abide to their rules, stop following up and email them again when you have created better content.

More importantly, organize the people you send your emails to. Always take note of the names and dates of people you’ve sent an email on paper or in a spreadsheet.

Bad Email Templates

This email disregards every single thing I’ve stated above:

He has not mentioned my name and is obviously unfamiliar with my site.

He didn’t tell me who he was. Don’t expect me to have time to search your name.

I will not give him topic ideas. I do not spoon feed guest bloggers.

He’s overconfident but wasn’t even able to give me links to his published posts. How would I know his writing capabilities?

Most blogs dislike getting emails from companies because:

It would be difficult to create a relationship

You can’t trust their content

It’s possible to get a bad set of audience

Emails that are similar to this are usually outside the blog’s niche.

Fellow bloggers are better at creating articles that talk to readers on a personal level

I like this better than the previous two. But it still has problems. Here are a list of them:

It’s obvious he didn’t take his time to personalize it. There are a lot typos in the email

He did not give me any of his published works

He did not give excerpts or summaries about his topics

Things To Take Note Of:

Personalize your emails. Blog owners want to feel special. We like emails that were not obviously spammed to other sites. Always take your time to personalize your emails.

Do not sell your links. Do not pay editors for your posts. Most blogs do not want the impression that they’re buying links.

Don’t expect to get paid. Do not ask for compensation unless the guidelines say otherwise.

Provide unique content. Do not send copyrighted articles or previously written ones. No one likes getting posts that have been all over the web. Every blogger wants fresh content. It’s why they’re availing guest posts.

Do your research beforehand. Take your time to research the site. Determine what the readers want to see. Check out their Rules and Guidelines before sending pitches.

Be careful of using attachments. People are wary of attachments because of possible threats against their computer. Send your attachments as Text Files (.txt).

Anybody having one of those days where you go, “Oh, YES! I got five whole visitors to my blog today – I’m a superstar!”?

Not quite superstar.

Don’t worry, we’ve all been there and we’ve all had those days – the excitement and adrenalin when you hit up Google Analytics and see that you’ve got five whole new visits in the past 24 hours. The first day, you’re over the moon with excitement. The second day, you’re wondering why your traffic hasn’t increased, but you pass it off as nothing and you’re still over the moon.

By the end of the week, you’re tearing your hair out in frustration. Fast forward a month, and you’re just about ready to quit, convinced that this whole “blogging” thing is only for the pros.

In short – new bloggers often have a hard time getting traffic. A very hard time. That’s probably one of the things you didn’t know when you started blogging.

But wait – there’s hope!

Here’s The Truth – Traffic Isn’t As Hard As People Make It Out To Be

That’s just the plain truth.

Fact is, most people start out pouring all their time into SEO, backlink building, and the like. What they don’t realize is that what they’re working on are long-term traffic strategies. By the time their SEO work actually begins to show results, they are frustrated at not seeing any traffic and just about ready to throw the towel in.

Newbies need results to keep motivated. And they need them fast.

Fortunately, there’s a proven way to get those desired results quick – quicker than what most might think. Don’t believe the blogging “gurus” out there who say that traffic only comes after a year of hard work, because the truth is that you can get thousands of visitors to your blog within your very first week without even breaking a sweat.

Wanna know how?

Guest Post

Guest posting is undisputed as the quickest way to grow any new blog into a superstar in one month flat. In fact, guest posting is the only way to grow a new blog into a superstar in a few weeks.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, here’s how it works:

A popular blogger who has tens of thousands of readers is having trouble finding time to create fresh content for his blog regularly. He opens his blog up to guest posters who post to his blog in exchange for cash or a couple backlinks.

Seizing the opportunity, you send that popular blogger a guest post pitch telling him about how you want to submit a post on his site. He accepts your pitch and you spend a few hours working up the most amazing piece of content, and you submit the post for review, waiting with bated breath.

The popular blogger loves your content. He shares it to his 50,000 strong Twitter tribe, his 25,000 Facebook likes and to the 10,000 e-mails subscribed to his mailing list.

As a result, your guest post gets viewed by tens of thousands of pairs of eyeballs, and at least 10% (a conservative estimate) of those readers go so far as to click the link in your author bio and visit your blog.

Bam.

All of a sudden, you’re getting thousands of visitors to your blog, all because you took the few hours necessary to send in a guest post pitch and create a spanking-awesome blog post.

Why Guest Posting Works So Crazy Well

Besides the fact that you can “borrow” thousands of readers from a popular blog and channel them to your blog, guest posting provides quite a few other benefits unparalleled by any other growth hacking strategy.

First of all, you’re not just getting any ol’ traffic. You’re getting targeted traffic – the type of traffic that gets you conversions. They subscribe to your mailing list, comment on your posts, share them, and are overall engaged with your blog.Targeted traffic is the only traffic that will actually make you money.

Then, you’re also building your blog’s authority. Readers figure that if you were able to land a guest post on one of the popular pillow fighting blogs around, you sure must know pillow fighting inside out. They instantly brand you as a pillow fighting authority. Needless to say, this boosts the sales to your pillow fighting e-course like nobody’s business.

And don’t forget those high-quality, relevant backlinks to your site in that author bio. Not only do they serve to drive traffic, but they look pretty good to Google. Just one of those relevant backlinks on a high-traffic blog is worth much more than a few hundred spammy article directory links.

Lastly (and this is my favorite), you get to create a lasting relationship with a popular blogger. Associating your name with the biggest names in the industry does wonders to increase your popularity. What’s more, people put you on the same level as the industry experts. You know them, they know you – you’re officially an expert.

That popular blogger just might become a follower of your blog, and maybe even subscribe to your mailing list, share your posts to their tens of thousands of social media followers, and comment and interact with you on your blog.

Trust me – when that happens, everything starts to click.

Let’s Look At A Few Case Studies

Of course, generating traffic, building authority, creating backlinks, and making connections all sounds superb on paper, but you might be a little skeptical as to whether this actually works. To clear those doubts, let’s take a look at some examples of how guest posting has made it an impact in other bloggers’ traffic strategies.

Ryan Biddulph from Cash With A True Conscience recently documented the effect a guest post by him on ProBlogger had on his blog. The result? 14,000 page visits in just one day, plus a seven-fold increase in visitor-to-subscriber conversion rates. Remember how we talked about how building authority and reputation results skyrockets conversion rates?

Joseph Oni launched a 6-month guest blogging campaign and came pretty close to doubling his traffic in a few months (at this point, he was already at a thousand unique visitors a week at this point). The added SEO benefit from the high-quality, relevant backlinks also increased his organic (search engine) traffic by 342%.

Onibalusi Bamidele killed it with one guest post on Max Blog Press. He got 1,000 new visitors the very first day the post went live (before, he averaged 100 on a good day). But that’s not all – those visitors stuck around for 3 minutes 4 seconds per, had an incredibly low 40.74% bounce rate, and resulted in approximately 250 new subscribers to his list. Talk about targeted traffic.

Jon Cooper from Point Blank SEO submitted a post on his YouMoz blog (the community blog in Moz), which happened to be awesome enough to get promoted to the main blog (a rare occurrence). He got nearly 80 quality, relevant backlinks (the post was syndicated many times over), a 400 visitor spike in traffic the first day, and an extra 10-20 visitors per day for a few weeks after the post went live.

Don’t Just Sit There…

…and do nothing! Take action!

There’s traffic to be gotten. Subscribers to be subscribed. Conversions to be converted. There’s money to be banked – all with guest blogging.